FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: FRIDAY, SEPT. 18, 2009

IMPORTANT UPDATE:
CHANGE TO EMBARGOED 2008 ACS DATA RELEASE SCHEDULE

A coding error was discovered on Sept. 16 that affected 2008 ACS poverty, family income and food stamp receipt data. All affected data tables (approximately 10 percent of the total number of tables) have been identified and repaired. However, additional time is needed to validate the data, generate the new tables for each of the approximately 7,000 geographies for which one-year data are published, and post the revised data to the Census Bureau's Web site. For that reason, all tables that weren't affected by the coding error will be released Sept. 22 as planned (embargoed for the media on Friday, Sept. 18). All remaining tables will be released Sept. 29 (embargoed for the media on Saturday, Sept. 26, and possibly as early as Friday evening, Sept. 25). A list of the affected tables are available on the media embargo site.

What:

Census Bureau staff will brief media about the 2008 American Community Survey data release. Content will cover "what's new" for the 2008 ACS one-year estimates, cautions and factors affecting the data, and a live online tutorial on accessing and downloading the data from an enhanced and expanded Web-based embargo site.

Accessible to members of the media with Census Bureau embargo passwords. Conducted via Microsoft Live Meeting; Web address, toll-free phone number and log-in instructions are posted on the embargo site. Media are strongly encouraged to begin the log-in at least 20 minutes in advance in order to test settings.